A Thief's Tale
by MadBlossomingPrincess
Summary: Atemu is in need of a wife and Mana, partner in crime to Bakura, needs survival. With the help of spirits and items, will our characters ever be able to find love and save their home, without falling to the evil that threatens to engulf them all? HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

Hi! This is my very first Yu-Gi-Oh fanfiction ever, so I'm feeling a little nervous and excited at the same time… This is loosely based off the Disney version of Aladdin, so if it seems familiar, it should! Also, this is inspired by AnimeAngelGirl15's YouTube videos!

Warning: Like I said, this is loosely based… very loosely based. So if things seem off, deal with it. I don't want an exact copy of Aladdin with Yu-Gi-Oh characters!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. If I did, certain characters would not be the way they are… nor do I own Disney's Aladdin. This is a fanfiction that refused to leave my head.

* * *

Chapter One

"Street rats! Stop them!" The guards chased the pair through the crowded market, attempting in vain to catch up. A Kuriboh flew around them, trying to grab at the guard's polished buttons.

The girl turned around, grinning mischievously. Her shoulder length brown hair waved with the sudden move. "You guys are so slow! You can't even catch up with two 'street rats'!"

"You're not going to get away!" The voice sounded farther off than before as they ran.

"I guess they're too busy eating to excersise," they boy said sarcastically. "Makes our lives easier." He was holding an armful of apples, a bag slung over his shoulder.

"Nya-ha! True!" the girl laughed as the boy pushed her, seeing a guard coming from the other side, trying to surround them.

"We gotta go!" the boy said, pushing her into a nearby alley. "Come on Mana!" He ran ahead, grabbing her hands with his free one. "Kuriboh will find his own way back."

"Bakura, we can't leave Kuriboh!" Mana dug in her heels and refused to move, even as Bakura glowered at her.

"Fine." Bakura backtracked and let out a shrill whistle, calling Kuriboh away from the guards. From past experience, he knew that Kuriboh would evade the guards attempts to follow them. Kuriboh flew past them, obeying Bakura. "He's here. Now lets go."

Kuriboh flew ahead to the hideout as Bakura pulled Mana along. The alleys were an intricate maze, and though both of them knew the way, both of them felt better together.

"Think we lost them?" Mana asked, gasping a little from laughing so much as they ran.

"No, I'm sure the guards are right behind us," Bakura drawled, inciting another laugh from Mana.

"Ha ha! They're way too slow for us!" Mana giggled. "Did you see them trying to get through that crowd?"

"Yeah."

"And Kuriboh tried to get the buttons off their coats!" Mana skipped along as Bakura let go of her hand, finally near the hideout.

"That was why we nearly got caught. You should train him better." Mana frowned at Bakura's tone, and then laughed. To anyone else, he would have sounded cold and harsh, but Mana could tell he was just trying to be stern. The Kuriboh's love of shiny objects often got them into trouble when they went out to get food, but Bakura enjoyed the chase just as Mana did. It was fun avoiding the guards and making them look like fools.

"You know it was fun!" Mana replied. She and Bakura had been together for nine years now, since she was seven and he was ten. Both of them had been orphans, stealing for food and living on the streets, and both of them had wanted food from the same market stall. It had turned into a contest to see who got the most food, and eventually they had become friends after Mana gave up a share of her spoils to Bakura's little brother, who had been four at the time. Now they were a team, working and living together to live the best they could, so Mana could tell what Bakura was really thinking.

"Hn."

"Hey, at least I got this!" Mana pulled a small bag out of a hidden pocket in her short dress. "Filched it off one of those rich people who tried to hide from us. Never even noticed it was missing!"

Bakura took the money bag and looked in it to see it full of gold and silver coins. He sent Mana a rare grin, amethyst eyes shining with pride. "Good job Mana."

Mana smiled at the praise, putting her hands behind her back and raising her chin smugly. "Why, thank you very much."

"Big Brother! Mana!" A little sweet-looking miniature of Bakura appeared, calling from a roof nearby. His white hair was in a tangled mess, dangling over his brown eyes. "Did you get any food?"

"Of course! Ryou, when have we ever come back unsuccessful?" Mana grinned cockily.

"Well, hurry up then!" Ryou disappeared as Bakura opened the door.

"Watch your step," Bakura warned Mana. They didn't normally use this entrance because it was so dangerous, but the run in with the guards made it necessary. If they weren't careful, the floors could collapse on them as they made their way to the top floor where Ryou was.

"Okay! I'm always caref…yikes!" Mana tripped over a board, landing flat on her face. She laughed at herself. "Hee hee! I'm such a klutz!"

Bakura helped Mana up, smirking a little. "Yes you are," he agreed. Mana giggled.

"Come on!" Mana grabbed Bakura by the hand and pulled him up the crumbling steps, nearly making him drop the food into a hole. "Hurry!"

"H-hey! Don't pull on me!" Mana didn't listen and nearly led them into a deep hole, so Bakur slung her over his shoulder and carried her the rest of the way, ignoring the joking protests and the fists hitting his back.

"Ryou, move!" Bakura ordered as he opened the door. "She needs a lesson in obedience!" Ryou obeyed with a grin, allowing Bakura to bring her into the room. This wasn't new, and it was always fun to watch Bakura and Mana mess with each other. Like the time Mana had tied Bakura up and put some rich lady's makeup on him. Bakura had tried for weeks to get decent payback, but it was all in good fun.

Bakura dumped Mana onto the bed and pinned her down, smirking at her attempts to get away. "Ryou! Help me!" She cried, laughing at the same time.

"Ryou, I need a favor." Ryou went over the odds in his head. Bakura was his big brother after all, so he should help him, but Mana brought him all kinds of toys and special treats. However, Bakura was the one who was controlling the situation at the moment. He cocked his head.

"Ryou, tickle her!" Bakura said to Mana's dismay. She was very ticklish, and both Ryou and Bakura knew she hated it.

"No!" Mana squirmed. "No, Ryou, please don't!"

"Ryou, now!" Bakura held Mana down as Ryou approached. Ryou still wasn't sure which side to pick.

So he pounced on the both of them, causing all three of them to collapse into an uncontrollable fit of laughter that didn't seem like it was going to end anytime soon.

* * *

Yay! I really like how this ended up! Now you can see what I mean by 'loosely based'… not much similarities yet, are there? Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, I really like this idea, so I'm continuing it… AnimeAngelGirl15 (YouTube) is my inspiration for this fan fiction, as well as Aladdin, which this is very loosely based from. Enjoy! This entire fan fiction is for AnimeAngelGirl15, because without her encouragement, I never would have gotten the first words down! So enjoy the chapter, and watch her YouTube videos!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, Aladdin, or any videos of AnimeAngelGirl15 which inspired this. They belong to their authors/directors/creators, and I claim no credit for their genius… especially not the crazy editing that happened in Yu-Gi-Oh.

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Chapter 2

The crimson eyed boy sat on the throne with a bored look on his face, brushing blond bangs from his face. The rest of his hair was spiked, black with red tips, forced into a manageable look.

"Your Majesty, it is long past time for you to wed."

Atemu suppressed a sigh successfully, but just barely. He'd heard this conversation countless times in the last few weeks, and his answer was always the same. "Seto, I do not wish to marry."

The boy he spoke to sighed. His eyes showed his disguised annoyance. No matter how important it was for the kingdom to receive an heir, the young prince refused to marry. He would barely speak to the prospective wives, sending them away within minutes, an hour at most. "Now that your father is gone, it is time for you to think about the kingdom's well-being, and marry to produce an heir."

Atemu really did sigh this time. "Seto, however strange it may sound; I will not marry into a political alliance for an heir. If I do marry, I wish to marry for love, nothing less."

"Your Majesty, the idea of it is improbable," an old man said as he came in. "A boy of your position must marry another of your rank."

"Aknadin." Atemu's advisor was one of the people in the palace Atemu didn't like much. Seto could be stuffy at times, but his father Aknadin was always that way, and left no room for Atemu to breath.

Aknadin bowed as he approached. "If you desire a love match, Your Majesty, take the woman as a mistress if you must. But you must…"

"Marry a woman of your rank who will benefit the kingdom's well-being," Atemu finished. "I understand Aknadin. Is the next candidate here, or do I have a little more time to be ready to disguise my completed disgust?"

"The Lady Tea will be passing through the town within the hour," Aknadin replied.

"I see…" Atemu hid his scowl. "Make the preparations Aknadin." Atemu rose and left the room with Seto, leaving Aknadin with his aide, a young boy that looked like a shorter, less tan version of Atemu.

A moment passed before either one moved. "You heard him Yugi!" Aknadin snapped suddenly. "Get the preparations ready!"

"Y-yes sir!" Yugi, believe it or not, actually respected Aknadin and supported him. He was like an abused pet, which cared about the abuser.

And he would do whatever was necessary to make Aknadin's plans happen…

() () () () () () ()

Mana watched from a roof as the procession went through the town. One of the princes prospective wives were coming, and now it was a big deal for the entire town. Nearly everyone was crowding around, hoping for a free coin or two. Mana thought it ridiculous, and wondered how anyone could ever want to marry someone they had never met. She never would.

Then again, Mana wasn't in a position to get married to the prince, even if she had met him. Which she hadn't. All she knew was that he lived in the palace and ruled with the help of the royal advisor, an old geezer named Aknadin. He also didn't help the poor much which lessened how much she could respect the prince. Though he didn't do much to hurt them either.

She climbed the ladder off the roof. Right now, she wanted to see who this woman was, because that was always entertaining. The town always liked to joke around and make bets to see if the prince would get married this time around. He never did, so Mana could earn a bit of money this way.

"Who is it this time?" Mana asked a bystander, grinning a little.

"The Lady Tea. She's a noblewoman of another country," the man replied with a smile. Mana was always curious, and loved to get into trouble, but even she was careful around the rich. Occasionally.

Some poor children were playing in the road as the procession neared, and they didn't move. "Aah!"

Mana dashed over to see what was going on. The Lady Tea, a woman who looked like a dancer, with short brown hair, was glaring at the children, ordering a whipping. "And then get these street urchins out of my sight." She said it as an afterthought, almost pausing on the insult.

"Excuse me?" Mana broke from the crowd and glared at the woman. Noble or not, that gave her no right to whip poor children. "Don't you dare call them street urchins!"

"And you are? You don't look much better than them," Lady Tea replied. "You're just another street rat like them."

"What did you just call me?" Mana ignored the children trying to pull her away. "You have no right to insult someone based off of how much money they have! We work hard to survive on a daily basis, with the money we have to earn! What do you do besides squander your family's money on clothes or expensive coaches?"

Mana could take a lot. She was a naturally happy person, but when others were being harmed, nothing could hold her back. "We may be 'street rats' as you call us, but any one of us is better than a hundred of you!"

She was about to fall into a string of insults when someone covered her mouth from behind. "I apologize, my lady, for the rudeness of my sister." Mana heard Bakura say quietly.

"You should control her better," Lady Tea replied.

"You're right," Bakura said, coming around Mana to bow, while shielding her with his own body. "I'll make sure she's disciplined when we get home," He continued, a barely discernable hint of sarcasm in his tone.

Mana gulped. Bakura was not going to be happy and she knew that meant trouble. A bag of coins wasn't going to help her this time.

Bakura tugged her away, obviously done talking to the lady, and pushed her into the closest alleyway. "What were you thinking?" He growled, murder in his purple eyes.

"I was thinking that I'd stop her from whipping the children," Mana mumbled. "I should have thought my plan out better."

"Yes, you should have." Mana braced herself for the hit. "If you were going to embarrass a noble, you should have let me help."

Mana looked up at Bakura, a small smile on her face. She'd forgotten how much Bakura hated royalty and nobility. "Of course, what was I thinking?" Mana's good humor was back and she skipped along Bakura as he walked off.

"So, I thought you were going to stay with Ryou today," Mana said.

"He wanted to go to the palace to work as a stable boy," Bakura muttered.

"Seriously? You're letting him do it?" Mana asked with a grin.

"It's his choice," Bakura replied. "He wants to earn his own money."

Mana grinned. "Well, maybe he can take after us and take some food from the stables. Even if we don't want him to be a thief."

"…You're acting like you're his mom," Bakura noticed with a smirk.

Mana laughed. "Well, he was a little kid when we met. He could barely walk and talk to me. I practically raised him! Remember?"

"Yeah," Bakura muttered, looking away. They had made it to the palace for some reason, and he could see the noblewoman's coach waiting for entrance. "Come on."

"Where are we going?" Mana let herself be pulled along the way. "What are we going to do?"

Bakura stopped under a tree that was hanging over the palace walls, looking for guards. When he'd determined there weren't any, he smirked at her. "We're visiting Ryou of course. What do you think?"

* * *

Wow… I like Bakura and Mana's relationship to each other… its fun to write though I didn't expect it to be like this… Nor did I expect Ryou to work at the palace… the story's already taken over! AAAAAH! Someone help me, and review so maybe I can take control of the story again!


	3. Chapter 3

Hi everyone! I felt it was time to write something I enjoyed, because my dad's bosses just fired him for no reason but that he was paid the most because he was the BEST manager they had! I hope he gets a better job and they come begging on their hands and knees for him to come back and he turns them down! So, for those people who read this, I did not plan to update yet, but because of them and my access to a laptop, I am updating now. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, or anything else that has inspired this fan fiction. Thus, it is called FAN fiction.

* * *

Chapter 3

"Hey look Bakura, there's plums!" Mana jumped to try to grab one, barely missing it.

"Yeah. There's also an annoying rich lady over there getting fat eating them," Bakura replied. "Now come on, we've gotta find Ryou."

Mana stared at the plums. She rarely got to eat fresh plums, and there were trees full of them just waiting for her to pick them. "Hey Bakura… a few wouldn't matter, right? Bakura?" He was nowhere in sight. "Bakura! Where are you?"

Bakura had disappeared. Mana had no idea which way he had gone, so she followed one of the paths, hoping no one would see her. She was pretty sure the guards wouldn't appreciate seeing a stranger here.

Mana noticed the vases and giggled._ They're big enough to hide in!_ Glancing into one of the vases curiously, she found it to be empty. _What's the point of an empty vase?_

She noticed a boy turn the corner, just a little too late. "Who are you?"

Mana stammered for a second. "Um… a servant!" She replied, bowing. From past experience, the rich tended to not notice servants, so posing as one was easy to do.

Atemu watched the girl warily. She didn't look like a servant, and she was out of place in the palace obviously. Plus, she hadn't noticed exactly who he was, as any other palace servant would. Unless she had come with Lady Tea's group… if that was the case, she had gotten very lost.

He didn't want to help her, no matter how lost she looked. He wanted to avoid the Lady Tea as much as possible. "The guards are coming," Atemu noticed with relief. "They can… hey!"

Mana pushed Atemu into one of the vases, jumping in afterwards. It wasn't meant to hold two teenagers, one sixteen, the other nineteen, so Mana had to lean against Atemu, pressed against the side of the vase.

"Let me go!" Atemu snapped, trying to push the girl off. _Is she an assassin? No, she'd know who I was… a thief maybe?_

"Shh! Please don't let the guards know I'm here!" Mana pleaded. "I'm just looking for my family!"

Atemu was still making a ruckus, so Mana pinned his hands down with her knees, kneeling partly on his legs so he couldn't move those either. Her hands were on his shoulders, preventing him from hitting the pot with his head. She leaned forward, breathing heavily form fighting him. "Don't… make… noise…" she panted.

Atemu blushed lightly, embarrassed at the position they were in. Mana didn't seem to notice it, nor did she notice his eyes looking over her.

_…She's pretty cute for someone holding me against my will… _Her soft brown hair hung in his face, and he could see her eyes watching him. _ Wait, what am I thinking? Couldn't I be yelling for the guards?_

Mana thought of that. She took one of her hands and covered his mouth with it. "Don't scream," she said.

She was too close. She'd leaned forward to cover his mouth. Atemu kept her gaze for a while, hoping she'd back off a little, but she didn't move. His hands itched to grab onto her. _Her scent… like jasmine and oasis water…_

She had to be a temptress… she was entrancing, and he needed to know more.

_Who are you?_

() () () () () () ()

"The stables should be over here. Mana when we…" Bakura looked behind him only to notice the girl was gone. "Mana? Damn it!" He backtracked until he was at the plum trees. "Where in the world did she go?"

"The place is a maze," Bakura muttered, looking for a sign of Mana. "She probably got lost or… Mana! Where are you?" If she got caught, he'd hunt those guards down and murder them. And then her, for making him worry like this…

() () () () () () ()

"Mana?" Both Atemu and Mana heard the hiss.

"Bakura!" Mana peeked her head out of the pot, leaving Atemu with an… interesting view. Seeing the white-haired boy there, she jumped out of the pot, leaping at Bakura. Her arms were around his neck while she wrapped her legs around his waist, holding herself there. "You left me!"

Atemu pulled himself out of the pot, and watched Bakura untangle himself from Mana. Both boys were blushing when Mana was on her feet, not like she noticed.

"I left you?"

"Yeah! By the plum trees, remember?"

Bakura sighed, shaking his head, and finally noticed Atemu. "Mana. You hid in a pot with him?"

"Yeah! Why?" Mana was clueless sometimes, and just grinned.

"She forced me," Atemu noted, a little angry for some reason. He wasn't even sure what it was.

"Do you not realize who he is?" Bakura hissed.

"Huh? No. Should I?"

"Look at his head!" Bakura ordered.

"I did! It's spiky!" Mana giggled.

"He's got a crown!"

"It might be a replica," Mana replied, skipping over to Atemu, taking the crown off and examining it, as Bakura hit himself.

"Why would I have a replica of my own crown?" Atemu snapped. The girl had to be brainless if she acted like this. Somehow, he doubted that was the case.

"Its real gold… wait… your crown?" Mana stared at Atemu. "You're the prince?"

"Yes!" Bakura and Atemu chorused, glaring at each other. Bakura hated the boy just for being royal, and Atemu was just irritated.

"How could you just now notice?" Bakura asked.

"Well, how was I supposed to know?" Mana replied defensively. "I've never seen him before; he's never gone into town!"

Mana put the crown back on Atemu's head gingerly, hoping it wouldn't fall. That would be her luck… and after it fell, the guards would show up.

Bakura grabbed Mana with the ease of practice. Atemu watched as Mana put up a token protest before giving in. "We'll be leaving now, Your Majesty," Bakura said sarcastically. "Enjoy your meeting with the Lady Tea."

"Don't marry her!" Mana advised. "She's mean to street kids! And I have money on you not marrying here!" Bakura dragged her off before she could get completely into her rant.

Atemu watched as Mana was pushed in front of Bakura, making her laugh. The girl was… intriguing. At first glance, she seemed to have no brains, and only good looks, but five minutes with her were enough to see she had more. Now Atemu wanted to see exactly who she was.

Mana and Bakura. He could only conclude that they were peasants that had snuck in… but for what?

They also seemed to be a team, Bakura being the more protective of the two. It was tempting to put the guards to work finding them, just to satisfy his curiosity about the two, but he had a feeling that even if the guards worked for years, they'd escape notice.

Turning away from their direction, he smirked and began to make his own plans.

* * *

Yay for new chapter! I finished it and feel less lazy for actually finishing a chapter… much better! Review please!


	4. Chapter 4

It has been a while since I updated this… I got a bad case of writers block… *sweat drops* So here it is, now! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, or anything associated with it… though if I did, it would be much different than it is now… mwahaha!

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Chapter Four

Atemu secured the hood, making sure it wouldn't fall when he wandered through the crowd. So far, the feeble disguise had worked, and no one had realized who he was. All he could do was hope that no one at the palace noticed he was missing.

It was strange being part of the crowd. Normally all he could do was observe from the palace, far above and away from his own people. So now, being a part of it, the experience was stunning. He could tell the rich from the poor, the sellers from the buyers, the children from the adults.

The noise was almost overwhelming. Merchants were yelling advertisements of their various products to any potential customer, while glaring threats at any beggars, or anyone driving off business.

Most of the beggars were children, Atemu noticed, surprised at the numbers. "Excuse me," he said to the nearest. "Where are your parents?" Surely their parents didn't send them out alone to beg, did they?

The child looked at him warily. No street kid liked strangers, and hated questions more. "Dead." The child ran off with some of the others before Atemu could reply.

_How many of these children are in the same position?_

() () () () () () ()

Mana laughed with Bakura at Atemu's pitiful disguise. Even if they hadn't met the prince the day before, they'd have suspected something. As it was, and the fact they had made such an obvious impression, they could deduce he was searching for them, and having no luck at all.

"What an idiot," Bakura drawled. "He can't even disguise himself right."

Mana giggled but said something in Atemu's defense. "At least he seems like a decent guy. He didn't bring the guards yesterday, and he's not turning in the thefts he's watching at the moment." They watch a little girl steal an apple while her friend distracted the merchant and run off.

"He also let **you** force him into a pot," Bakura replied. "No offense, but you're not the strongest person in the world."

"Well, neither are you!" Mana frowned. She wasn't all that weak, especially when she had her staff. People ended up with bruised heads around it.

"No, but I'm the Thief King," Bakura sent aback. "I never get caught, so I don't need to be the strongest." He smirked as Mana stuck her tongue out at him.

They watched Atemu again with the silent pleasure at watching without being seen.

Bakura sighed as he noticed something else in the crowd. "Doesn't he even realize he's being followed down there?"

() () () () () () ()

Atemu paused at the opening of an alleyway. No one he'd talked to gave him any information on the two he was looking for, though by the hesitation in their answers, he was sure everyone lied when they said they'd never seen Bakura and Mana. Either they were afraid of the two, or they had inspired a great deal of loyalty.

The search was proving useless, but even if he never found them, he'd gotten a few hours away from the palace, and the Lady Tea who hadn't left yet. He had tried to avoid spending more time with her than necessary after what Mana had said. Of course, he didn't know if what she had said was true, so he approached one of the shopping women with an alarmingly charming smile.

"Excuse me? I was wondering what you thought of the Lady Tea," Atemu said.

"Um… w-well," the woman stuttered. "She was q-quite generous with her money but…"

"What happened?" Atemu prodded at her sudden silence.

"She almost whipped some of the street rats," the woman whispered. "At least until Mana jumped in."

"Mana?" Finally, some sort of information!

"Yeah! She's a street rat herself, and very protective of all the others," the woman replied. "She'd take all the trouble herself if she could. Nearly got herself in trouble yelling at the lady anyways. So Bakura had to come in and settle things. Not normal, since he tends to cause trouble."

Aha! So maybe they were at the palace to try to get revenge on Lady Tea. Atemu wasn't sure if he was supposed to feel pleased they would want to get rid of her, or try to stop that from happening.

"Now, don't tell anyone I'm gossiping, but I think Bakura likes young Mana," the woman whispered. "Like I said, he likes to cause trouble. He wouldn't stop it for anyone else but Mana and his brother."

"Really?" Thank Ra for town gossips! "Do you know them well?"

"Oh no, not at all! Just rumors!" The woman seemed appalled at the very thought. "They're a thief team; I'm a law-abiding woman. Now, I must go. Have a nice day.

"You too," Atemu said to her back, walking down the alley he'd paused at earlier, trying to get away from the crowd to think. He met with seven daggers surrounding him completely.

* * *

All done! This seems short for some reason… Oh well. Review please! I mean it… I want to know your thoughts, so please please review if you favorite/followed this… Tell me what you think could be done to improve or what you like!


	5. Chapter 5

MBP: I'M ALIVE! ...Yeah, I have issues. Not to mention, I have these evil voices in my head, that you may have heard about if you've read some of my other things...

Rini: Hi!

Kio: H-hello...

MBP: Anyways, I'm sorry for not writing... I have reasons, I swear! Reason One: Writer's Block. It sucks. Seriously. Reason Two: My mom helped me clean my room, and she put all the stuff I had written for this in a folder I would never look in because it had some things I don't look at. So, I couldn't find it, and I just couldn't get the will to rewrite the stuff I wrote...

Rini: But she like, found it this morning!

MBP: And the writing urge came back! And hopefully, I can get these chapters up again! Oh yeah, I get a MarikxMana video now! Mwahaha!

Kio: ...Isn't this a vaseshipping fic?

MBP: Yes, but I like Staffshipping too, and I get a vid for it now! Haha, anyways, hope you enjoy! I own nothing! I wish I did, because if I did, 4Kids would never have made those stupid edits to it! Mwahahahahaha!

* * *

_**Chapter Five**_

Atemu put his hands over his head, pretending to give up. He really hoped they fell for it, because having seven knives pointed at him was not very comforting.

"So this is the guy asking all the questions," the obvious leader sneered, jabbing at Atemu. "Doesn't look like much, does he?"

"Definitely not the normal rat," another agreed, earning a chorus of nods from the rest of the group.

_Rat? _Atemu had no idea what they were talking about. He really should have tried to learn common slang before he came here.

"Trying to help the guards is a serious crime around here boy," the leader growled, raising the knife he held higher, ready to strike. "Us street rats stick together."

_I should have expected this... Idiot!_ Atemu made a note to scold himself later and braced himself for a fight. Ducking to avoid a stab, he disarmed one of the men and blocked another knife.

"Ouch!"

The sound of a scuffle came from behind him, and Atemu risked a glance backwards to see Bakura disarming three of the men. He was standing on the one Atemu had disarmed first.

"Weakling." Atemu wasn't sure if Bakura was insulting him or the man on the ground.

"B-Bakura!" The leader and the men flanking him were terrified. Apparently Bakura was more than just a normal teenager, to be able to frighten grown men.

Mana was also there, caught between the two men by their leader, kicking at their legs as they held onto her arms. Not the best position to be in if the way Bakura glared death threats was any indication.

"Let her go," Bakura growled, flames in his eyes. "Then leave, and don't let me see you again."

The men dropped Mana and ran away, looking back once to check that Bakura wasn't following them to try killing them.

Mana giggled as soon as they were out of sight, looking pleased. "Wow, Bakura, that's a new record! Normally you need a threat in there too!"

"Damn it Mana, I told you to stay hidden!" Bakura snapped, his eyes sharpened from anger.

"You didn't even want to help him!" Mana protested, hiding behind Atemu, cowering behind him. Bakura even scared her sometimes.

"Um... Thank you..." Atemu said, looking at Mana, who grinned at him.

"Her idea," Bakura muttered.

"He doesn't like nobles or royals," Mana whispered in Atemu's ear. "Don't take it personally, okay?"

"Why is he here?" Bakura snapped.

"I don't know. Why are you here?" Mana was so bright and cheerful... unlike her companion. Not like that was too hard. Atemu thought Seto was more cheerful than Bakura and Seto... well, Seto was Seto.

"I was trying to find you two," Atemu moved away from Mana, hoping it would stop Bakura from glaring so much. It didn't work.

"Why?" Mana prodded, poking him.

"I... don't really know..." he replied slowly. Atemu really didn't know. They were just commoners that had snuck into his palace. He shouldn't have snuck out because they really weren't special. But he'd felt compelled to come out and find them... plus, Mana intrigued him, but he couldn't really say that in front of Bakura.

"Then I'll be going. Come on Mana." Bakura climbed onto the roofs and disappeared.

"I'm sorry he's so grouchy!" Mana apologized bowing a little. "He's not normally so bad! He can actually be really funny!" She was still laughing and grinning when a troop of guards came and grabbed her.

"Hey!"

"Mana!" Atemu drew back his hood and faced the guards. "Release her immediately!"

"Your Highness!" Mana rolled her eyes. Yes, it was the prince, so they could let her go now! She wriggled uselessly, trying to loosen their grips. Stupid guards with freaking grips of steel!

"Release her," Atemu ordered again coldly. "Now."

"I-I'm sorry Your Highness, b-but this girl is a suspected assassin," One guard replied nervously, not looking too sure about what he was saying. "W-we've been ordered to t-take her in for interrogation."

"I believe my orders hold more weight than anyone else's," Atemu replied, sounding even more cold.

"Y-Your Highness..." Atemu glared, noticing that the guards still hadn't loosened their grip on the girl, only tightened it so she couldn't slip away.

"Who gave you the order?" Atemu asked, intending to make sure that they wouldn't be giving any more orders anytime soon.

"L-Lord Aknadin..." With that, they proceeded to drag Mana away, keeping her bound, even though she wasn't causing any trouble. As Atemu followed them, he noticed Mana glance at the roofs and shake her head subtly in warning.

She wasn't an assassin, Atemu knew that much. Anyone could tell that she had never killed anyone before, and probably had never been involved in anything more serious than theft.

It was time to have a talk with his advisor...

() () () () () ()

"The girl is in the dungeons," Yugi said, standing near Aknadin loyally. Atemu had come in as soon as he returned to the palace, and told Aknadin to release the girl, but Aknadin had said she was already being interrogated and would be released before night fell if she was truly innocent. Atemu hadn't looked too convinced, but Lady Tea had appeared and he was duty-bound to entertain her.

"You are sure she is the one?" Aknadin asked the boy, leading him out of the room and to the dungeons.

"She is exactly as you described," Yugi replied, following his master as Aknadin disguised himself as an old cripple.

"Good... I will return by morning. Let no one enter my chambers."

"Of course Master." Yugi bowed low, almost touching the ground, and did not rise until Aknadin had disappeared into the inky darkness of the dungeons.

() () () () () ()

Bakura raged angrily around the house he shared with Mana and Ryou, shoving food and clothes into a bag as he barked orders to his younger brother.

"There's money in the cabinet, you know where the food is, don't steal, get to work, don't cause trouble, don't leave any doors unlocked, stay inside after dark, don't attract attention... where the hell did she hide my damn knives?" Bakura was on a full rampage as he tore through their home looking for his weapons.

"I-I think they're in your mattress..." No sooner had Ryou spoken, Bakura had torn his mattress apart and received two deadly knives hidden inside. His eyes had a murderous gleam in them that always scared Ryou whenever he saw it. It reminded him too much of a past they were both starting to get past.

Bakura didn't even say anything as he began to exit the home.

"W-where are you going?" Ryou called nervously as his brother's aura grew darker and more deadly with each step. Bakura sent him a stare that sent chills down Ryou's spine. It was too calm, though Ryou could see the pure fury in his brother's eyes.

"I'm going to get Mana back."

* * *

MBP: Sigh... and it's done... Hope you enjoyed!

Rini: Review please! They make our authoress happy, and with her schedule, she needs as much help as possible!

MBP: Gee, thanks so much... anyways, hope you enjoyed again!

Kio: Jaa nee!


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